Lawmaker under suspicion for influence peddling in court
Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, left, speaks at a policy meeting in the National Assembly, Seoul, last October. / Korea Times file
Rep. Seo pressured court to go easy on friend's son, prosecution says
By Lee Suh-yoon
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Seo Young-kyo is under fire over allegations she illicitly lobbied the National Court Administration (NCA) ― the central organization at the heart of a massive abuse of power scandal at the Supreme Court.
In May 2015, Seo allegedly asked a judiciary official surnamed Kim, then stationed at the National Assembly, to get her friend's son, who had been charged with sexually harassing a woman in the street months earlier, a lighter sentence, according to prosecutors investigating the judiciary power abuse scandal, Wednesday. Seo asked that he press the court to rule the man guilty of “obscenity in public,” not sexual harassment.
Kim forwarded Seo's request to then NCA deputy head Lim Jong-hun, one of the central figures in the scandal that erupted later who was arrested last November for interfering in court rulings to suit Cheong Wa Dae's interests.
The message was passed on to the presiding judge in the relevant case. The court did not accept the request to charge the man with public obscenity, but let him off the hook with a 5 million won fine, which was very light for a sexual harassment charge, the prosecutors said.
Previous to the illicit dealings, the NCA in 2015 drafted plans to “win over” Rep. Seo to get the bill for setting up a Second Supreme Court passed, The Korea Times' sister paper the Hankook Ilbo reported last July.
Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) floor leader Hong Young-pyo, right, speaks at a party leaders meeting at the National Assembly, Wednesday, regarding the recent influence-peddling allegations brought against DPK Rep. Seo Young-kyo. / Yonhap
Seo denied the allegations. Her spokeswoman told local press she never asked the court to “change” the charges against her friend's son or lower his sentence, saying “everything was determined by the court alone.”
But the prosecution said it secured testimony from Seo's friend who sought the favor and Kim, as well as other evidence.
The findings were revealed in the ongoing investigation into the Supreme Court's power abuse scandal, as the prosecutors added new influence-peddling charges against Lim.
The DPK announced Wednesday that it would open an internal investigation into the allegations against Seo.
“We will first verify the facts, comparing Seo's account with information from relevant people and institutions,” DPK floor leader Rep. Hong young-pyo said in a party meeting. “Party leaders will discuss the next step when the results come out.”
Seo was not the only lawmaker mentioned in the new revelations. Prosecutors said they collected evidence showing three former lawmakers ― Jun Byung-hun, Lee Gun-hyeon, Roh Chul-rae ― similarly interfered in court rulings through the NCA, which complied with their requests to get more Assembly members behind its plan to establish the new appeals court.
Prosecutors said Lim actively helped the three former lawmakers dodge ongoing trials against them or their aides for violating political fundraising regulations. Under Lim's orders, the NCA drafted reports for the former lawmakers informing them of their predicted sentences and legal advice on how to reduce their punishment.
The seven-month-long investigation into the massive judiciary power abuse scandal entered its final stretch recently, reaching a climax with the summoning of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Yang Sung-tae last week. The prosecution claims the NCA meddled in a series of high-profile trials under Yang in exchange for political favors from the Park Geun-hye administration.